Jabalpur: Tension gripped Sihora town in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district after a clash between Hindu and Muslim groups led to stone-pelting and
vandalism, prompting police to lob teargas shells, officials said on Friday.
They said 49 people had been arrested so far and efforts are on to nab others involved in the unrest.
The violence erupted around 10 pm on Thursday near Azad Chowk, an area where a Durga temple and a mosque are located in close proximity.
While officials stated the situation is now under control and no injuries were reported, a heavy police presence remains on the ground, and most local shops remained closed on Friday.
Hindu organisations alleged that some miscreants broke the iron gate of the temple while an ‘aarti’ was being performed and also hurled stones while local Muslim residents said the clash erupted when the special Ramzan prayer and temple aarti were taking place simultaneously.
Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay said that after initial attempts to use “mild force” failed to disperse the crowd, police had to resort to firing eight to ten teargas shells to disperse the unruly mob.
“We are currently not allowing people to roam in the affected area unnecessarily and are using drones to monitor the situation,” Upadhyay said.
Additional SP Suryakant Sharma confirmed that 49 people have been arrested so far, with more suspects
expected to be identified within 24 hours.
District Collector Raghavendra Singh denied reports that stones were hurled at the temple, as claimed by some Hindu activists and told news agency that “stone-pelting occurred between two groups, leading to the violence, and the situation is currently under control. Curfew will not be imposed.”